. it starts with jeremy bowen in london. >>theu.s. jetsreturning to their base in italy. the decision to use air power against colonel gadhafi in libya was taken quickly, so quickly that they are still sorting out the politics behind it. if that is one reason for the london conference, assembling ministers and diplomats from 40 countries, and the arab league and the african union to back u.n. resolutions. though thertheir enthusiasm for military action varies. the mandate to protect civilians also means taking sides in a civil war. >> we made the right choice, that was to draw a line in the desert sand to halt the murderous advance of gaddafi's forces. no one has yet to explain when or how that commitment ends. the conference also said -- started the process toward more legitimacy. this is the closest of rebels have to a political leadership and would like more help on the ground, too. >> the americans said they would consider arming the rebels. is that something you would like? >> you can see that they are fighting with machine guns, etc. >> the u.s., france, and britain are

calltheu.s. home.welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and also around the globe. in libya, state television is reporting you allied air strikes tonight, even as anti-government rebels) on what could be an important symbolic victory after a weekend of military gains. there have been moving steadily west, retaking towns they had earlier lost, moving from benghazi, the rebels are now in control of three other towns. the biggest victory could be the capture of sirte, colonel gaddafi's home town. >> taking the fight to colonel gaddafi's birthplace. rebels pounding targets near the town of sirte. a victory here would have huge the symbolic value. if the libyan leader cannot defend his home town, how long can he defend his regime? rebels said these were some of his supporters, mercenaries, they claimed, sent to kill, but defeated by poorly armed volunteers. we found rebel fighters racing to the front lines with a clear message for the libyan leader. a few weeks ago, a gesture like this would have gotten him killed. along the way, we met this band of brothers and cousins, and extended fa

at a munitions factory that left 150 people dead.formeru.s. presidentjimmy carter has visited age-old american contractor in cuba. he was imprisoned for illegally providing internet access to cuban citizens. mr. carter says the authorities have made clear they did not intend to release him. now to japan, where the woes of the fukushima nuclear plant continue unabated. today, the country's nuclear safety agency said it has discovered the highest levels of radiation to date in seawater near the vicinity. -- to the facility. they acknowledged for of the six reactors at the plant will need to be scrapped. the company's process checked into a hospital with high blood pressure and dizziness. -- the company's loss check into a hospital. >> from the strip -- from the stricken plant to the sea, radiation is leaking. they don't know how or where it's coming from, but the levels are extraordinary. the government insists that contamination will be deleted as it spreads. this man is not sure. he farms seaweed 120 miles south of the plant. he's trying to salvage his nets, wrecked by the tsu

illegal subsidies fromtheu.s. government,giving it an unfair advantage over airbus. boeing and airbus were informed of the it is only now that information has been made public. microsoft has filed a complaint with european union regulators against google. they are accusing the company of trying to edge them out of the search market. microsoft claims google used its dominant position to restrict the growth of microsoft service. google said it was not surprised and will have fully explained. where is the look of the irish when they need it? in another sign that ireland the fiscal crisis is beaten -- is deepening, the banks will need additional cash to ensure their survival will take place in the case of more financial sharks. our correspondent has that part of tonight's global business connection. >> the strain on ireland's economy keeps building. when the property bubble burst three years ago, irish banks were left exposed. much of the money they lend, they could not get back. only now is the full scale of their losses becoming clear. stress tests show they urgently need more fu